1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a formed panel for a bag and method of manufacturing therefore, and more particularly, to a formed panel for a bag and method of manufacturing therefore which allows the bag to maintain an original shape without deformation even though the bag may be acted on by external forces, and also allows the bag to appear soft from the outside thereof.
This invention also relates to luggage, and more particularly hard-sided, soft gusset luggage having durability and sufficient stiffness to protect the contents of the luggage without a totally rigid construction.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, when a bag is manufactured with the use of a panel formed by extruding Acrylic Buterate Styrene (ABS), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), Poly Ethylene (PE), and Poly Propylene (PP), the bag is able to maintain an original shape without deformation by external force. Also, when a bag is made of material such as leather, vinyl, fabric or the like, it is easily deformable by external force.
According to the former case, it is possible to maintain the original shape of the bag, even if the bag is pressed by external forces. This results in the advantage that the contents of the bag can be maintained in their proper shape. Accordingly, this type of bag is generally used as a traveling bag, a bag for instruments, etc. Since the material of the formed panel is generally a hard plastic such a ABS, PVC, PE, PP, and so on, though the bag can be maintained in its original shape, it is a disadvantage that the outward appearance of the bag is unpleasant to the touch.
In the other case, where materials such as leather, vinyl, fabric or the like are used for manufacturing the bag, the outward appearance of the bag is agreeable to the touch, but when external force is applied to the flexible material, the force is directly transferred to the contents of the bag.
In order to overcome the disadvantage of the later case, it has been suggested that a structure with a square frame be inserted into the body of the bag to maintain a shape of the bag. While this structure maintains, partly, a square shape, it is incapable of maintaining the contents in the bag in their original form.
Soft-sided luggage has many advantages but also provides many problems which are inherent in its structure. Soft-sided luggage, normally referred to as luggage having a hard gusset or midsection and soft panels in front and back, must be filled full in order for the contents of the luggage and the front and back panels to be protected. If the luggage is not filled, voids occur which leave the soft front and back panels vulnerable to puncture or ripping. While such luggage is light in weight, it is bulky because of the stiffness and volume of the gusset. Additionally, the structure of soft-sided luggage requires rigid frames for closing the front panel to the gusset, which frames tend to bend because of the lack of strength of the front panel, leading to the bags often being bent and deformed.
Appearance problems also exist if the luggage is not carefully manufactured. If a hard gusset is used in the center section, then the hard section must be covered with the same soft material that is used to form the panels. If, on the other hand, the luggage is to have hard panels all around, then very often the panels are made of plastic and the entire luggage tends to appear cheap and shoddy. If cloth is used in the luggage, then the luggage will have a soft appearance and will in fact be soft in the front and back panels and require separate structural stiffeners.
Additionally, flexible or soft-sided luggage is not necessarily expandable even though the sides are soft. Since the luggage must be relatively full in order to keep the sides from becoming vulnerable to puncture or ripping, it is necessary that the soft-sided luggage be very accurately sized to the load involved. Attempts have been made in the past to expand the luggage in accordance with the size of the load being carried but these attempts have been less than successful. Furthermore, none of these patents, taken either singly or in combination, are thought to provide the benefits of the present invention.
Trotter, U.S. Pat. No. 1,171,678, shows a rigid piece of luggage having an expandable side panel by placing flexible sheet within the remainder of the luggage and strapping the two together.
Switkes, U.S. Pat. No. 1,889,765, shows a bellows expansion panel for the outside of an attache case.
Gray, U.S. Pat. No. 2,536,169, shows a device having two zippered halves connected by a zipper, so that the middle of the apparatus is flexible while the outer panels are relatively stiff. Provisions are made for inserting zip and expansion panels into the device to make the device of larger capacity.
Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,057, is a device which has add on segments zipped together to a soft, flexible center.
Dyke, U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,671, shows an expansible carrying case having asymmetrically opening zippered pleats to enable expansion.
Kotkins, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,515, shows a device having zip on expansion chambers at the ends of the device.
The related art does not provide the essential elements or benefits of the present invention.